Moony and Padfoot read the Epilogue
by thegirlintardisblue
Summary: Self-Explanatory Title...


Sirius stared into the fire, a bottle of firewwhiskey in his hand, his face contorted in worry, fear and hopelessness.

"Padfoot, are you alright?"

He looked up as his best friend slipped into the armchair in front of him.

"Yeah Moony..." he said, setting the empty bottle down on the table between them.

"Its just..." he sighed "I feel so hopeless sometimes...Harry is the only reason I'm alive for , Remus...and I just can't help sometimes feeling that-that he may not come out of this war alive..." his voice cracked at the last word, his face anguished

.

"I know, Padfoot, even though Harry doesn't know, he means the world to me too..." He sighed too

"I wish we could know the outcome...to know Harry's future" he said quietly.

Suddenly, the bluish glow similar to that of a portkey illuminated the room. Both men jumped up, wands ready, as the light receded, leaving a stack of parchment behind.

They looked at each other for a minute, and then cautiously approached the bundle of parchment.

"What do you think it is?" Sirius asked Remus

"I don't know..." he replied uncertainly

They looked at the stack left behind, and saw a note on top.

'Dear-uh...I don't know what to call you, so we'll settle on Padfoot and Moony,

Okay, Dear Padfoot and Moony,

I know you want to know about Da-er...Harry's future, so I managed to convince Liz to perform a charm to send it to you, do read it, please, I got hexed pretty badly by Liz because of this...don't know WHY she hates me that much...Anyway, just know that its the truth. You're both in for some pretty big shocks...

Cheers,

J.S.P

(I'm there in the story! Guess who? Oh, and you'll be able to figure out my middle name, its pretty easy, you know..Bye!.)'

They both stared at the letter, Sirius looked at Remus, "What say Moony? Should we?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Remus considered it for a moment, at last, nodding.

Sirius picked the parchments up, as they both strode back to their chairs by the fire, and Sirius began to read.

**Nineteen Years Later**

**Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year. The morning of the first of September was crisp as an apple,**

Both of them grinned,"Hogwarts!" they said simultaneously

**and as the little family bobbed across the rumbling road toward the great sooty station, the fumes of car exhausts and the breath of pedestrians sparkled like cobwebs in the cold air. Two large cages tattled on top of the laden trolleys the parents were pushing; the owls inside them hooted indignantly, and the redheaded girl trailed fearfully behind here brothers, clutching her father's arm.**

**"It won't be long, and you'll be going too," Harry told her.**

Their jaws fell open "H-Harry?"

"Padfoot, do you know what that means? Harry will live, Harry did it!" said Remus joyously as they both grinned widely at the knowledge that their godson, or nephew, as Remus had seen Harry as, would survive, that they would win the war, as they knew that Harry was the only one who could, and him being alive was only possible if Voldemort was dead.

**"Two years," sniffed Lily.**

They both smiled sadly, Harry would obviously name his children after his parents...

**"I want to go now!" **

**The commuters stared curiously at the owls as the family wove its way toward the barrier between platforms nine and ten, Albus's **

Remus raised an eyebrow

.

**voice drifted back to Harry over the surrounding clamor; his sons**

"Sons..." mused Sirius " that means one daughter and two sons...been busy, hasn't he?" he smirked, as Remus reached over and smacked him.

**had resumed the argument they had started in the car.**

**"I won't! I won't be a Slytherin!"**

"Good," nodded Sirius solemnly "This guy has got his priorities in order." He finished seriously (no pun intended)

**"James, **

Read Sirius, his eyes widening, and stuttering slightly on his deceased best friends name

**give it a rest!" said Ginny.**

Sirius dropped the parchments, shock mingled with amusement on his face"

"Ginny?" he asked "How come I didn't notice this this summer?"

Remus shrugged, slightly shocked himself, though when he thought about it, Ginny obviously had a crush on Harry...whether Harry returned those feelings...he didn't know...

He picked them up and started reading

**"I only said he might be," said James, grinning at his younger brother. "There's nothing wrong with that. He might be in Slytherin"**

Both of them shook their heads fondly, _Exactly like his namesake..._

**But James caught his mother's eye and fell silent. The five Potters approached the barrier. With a slightly cocky look over his shoulder at his younger brother, James took the trolley from his mother and broke into a run. A moment later, he had vanished.**

**"You'll write to me, won't you?" Albus**

"Trust Harry to name his son after Dumbledore" said Remus, grinning

**asked his parents immediately, capitalizing on the momentary absence of his brother.**

**"Every day, of you want us to," said Ginny.**

**"Not every day," said Albus quickly, "James says most people only get letters from home about once a month." **

**"We wrote to James three times a week last year," said Ginny.**

**"And you don't want to believe everything he tells you about Hogwarts," Harry put in. "He likes a laugh, your brother." **

**Side by side, they pushed the second trolley forward, gathering speed. As they reached the barrier, Albus winced, but no collision came. Instead, the family emerged onto platform nine and three-quarters, which was obscured by thick white steam that was pouring from the scarlet Hogwarts Express. Indistinct figures were swarming through the mist, into which James had already disappeared.**

**"Where are they?" asked Albus anxiously, peering at the hazy forms they passed as they made their way down the platform.**

"Who is he looking for?" asked Sirius, confued

"I don't know" replied Remus

Sirius gasped dramatically "Moony doesn't know something?" he asked "Its the end of the world!"

Remus kept on reading, not dignifying the comment with a response, though he smailed to himself,

Sirius was more cheerful now than he had been in weeks...

**"We'll find them," said Ginny reassuringly.**

**But the vapor was dense, and it was difficult to make out anybody's faces.**

**Detached from their owners, voices sounded unnaturally loud, Harry thought he heard Percy **

Sirius scowled at the name, while Remus frowned. None of them were particularly impressed with Percy Weasley right now, to say the least...

**discoursing loudly on broomstick regulations, and was quite glad of the excuse not to stop and say hello. . . .**

**"I think that's them, Al," said Ginny suddenly.**

**A group of four people emerged from the mist, standing alongside the very last carriage. Their faces only came into focus when Harry, Ginny, Lily, and Albus had drawn right up to them.**

**"Hi," said Albus, sounding immensely relieved.**

**Roses, who was already wearing her brand-new Hogwarts robes, beamed at him. **

**"Parked all right, then?" Ron asked Harry. "I did. Hermione didn't believe I could pass a Muggle driving test, did you? She thought I'd have to Confound the examiner." **

**"No, I didn't," said Hermione, "I had complete faith in you."**

"So those two, finally came to their senses..." grinned Sirius

**"As a matter of fact, I did Confund him," Ron whispered to Harry,**

They both laughed.

**as together they lifted Albus's trunk and owl onto the train. "I only forgot to look in the wing mirror, and let's face it, I can use a Supersensory Charm for that."**

"True, that" mused Remus

**Back on the platform, they found Lily and Hugo, Rose's younger brother, having an animated discussion about which House they would be sorted into when they finally went to Hogwarts.**

**"If you're not in Gryffindor, we'll disinherit you," said Ron, "but no pressure." **

**"Ron!" **

**Lily and Hugo laughed, but Albus and Rose looked solemn.**

"Poor kids" said Sirius in mock sadness "Between James and Ron, they're both going to have panic attacks before they reach Hogwarts..."

**"He doesn't mean it," said Hermione and Ginny, but Ron was no longer paying attention. Catching Harry's eye, he nodded covertly to a point some fifty yards away. The steam had thinned for a moment, and three people stood in sharp relief against the shifting mist.**

**"Look who it is." **

**Draco Malfoy was standing there with his wife and son, a dark coat buttoned up to his throat. His hair was receding somewhat, which emphasized the pointed chin. The new boy resembled Draco as much as Albus resembled Harry.**

They both imagined Harry as an 11 year old, without his scar

**Draco caught sight of Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny staring at him, nodded curtly, and turned away again.**

"Ron, Harry and Draco, civil to each other?" asked Remus, raising an eyebrow

**"So that's little Scorpius,"**

Sirius choked "_Scorpius_?" he repeated "Who names their kid _Scorpius_?"

**said Ron under his breath. "Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains." **

**"Ron, for heaven's sake," said Hermione, half stern, half amused. "Don't try to turn them against each other before they've even started school!" **

**"You're right, sorry," said Ron, but unable to help himself, he added, "Don't get too friendly with him, though, Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pureblood." **

They grinned, that DID sound like Arthur

**"Hey!" **

**James had reappeared; he had divested himself of his trunk, owl, and trolley, and was evidently bursting with news.**

**"Teddy's back there,"**

"Who's Teddy?" asked Sirius curiously

Remus shrugged, "Must be a cousin or something.."

**he said breathlessly, pointing back over his shoulder into the billowing clouds of steam. "Just seen him! And guess what he's doing? Snogging Victoire!" **

**He gazed up at the adults, evidently disappointed by the lack of reaction.**

**"Our Teddy! Teddy Lupin! **

It was Remus' turn to choke "Lupin?" he repeated, opening and closing his mouth, doing a classically acute impression of a goldfish as Sirius snatched the parchments from Remus, who was attempting to snap out of his shocked state.

**Snogging our Victoire! Our cousin!**

"Seems like the Weasley brood has grown even bigger." Mused Sirius

**And I asked teddy what he was doing -" **

**"You interrupted them?" said Ginny. "You are so like Ron -" **

"Why does it sound like she's speaking from experience?" said Sirius, still grinning, as Remus slowly drifted out of his shock, deciding that he'd think about it later...

**"- and he said he'd come to see her off! And then he told me to go away. He's snogging her!" James added as though worried he had not made himself clear.**

**"Oh, it would be lovely if they got married!" whispered Lily ecstatically. "Teddy would really be part of the family then!" **

**"He already comes round for dinner about four times a week," said Harry "Why don't we just invite him to live with is and have done with it?" **

Remus frowned "If he's my s-son" he said, stuttering on the word 'son', why isn't he with me?"

Sirius frowned too, "That can only happen if you're..." he trailed off, looking horrorstruck

"Moony..." he whispered

"I-I think we're both dead in this future..."

Remus' eyes widened as he looked at Sirius "What make you think...?"

"Its just...think about it...if Harry's kids were going to Hogwarts, don't you think we would've been there? Especially you, seeing as your son's there...and maybe, maybe you made Harry godfather or something, you know?"

"Its possible," said Remus thoughtfully "But why wouldn't I name _you _godfather..."

"Maybe I died before the guy was born" Sirius shrugged

Remus nodded,_ It all made sense..._

**"Yeah!" said James enthusiastically. "I don't mind sharing with Al-Teddy could have my room!" **

**"No," said Harry firmly, "you and Al will share a room only when I want the house demolished." **

**He checked the battered old watch that had once been Fabian Prewett's.**

They both sighed sadly, James had wanted to give Harry his own watch when he came to age, it had been put in the vault, and apparently, Harry had never found it...

It was like a confirmation of their deaths.

**"It's nearly eleven, you'd better get on board." **

**"Don't forget to give Neville our love!"**

"Why would Neville be at Hogwarts?" wondered Sirius

**Ginny told James as she hugged him.**

**"Mum! I can't give a professor love!" **

**"But you know Neville-" **

**James rolled his eyes.**

**"Outside, yeah, but at school he's Professor Longbottom, isn't he? I can't walk into Herbology and give him love. . . ."**

Remus smiled, Neville would be a great teacher if he had confidence...and he'd always loved Herbology

**Shaking his head at his mother's foolishness, he vented his feelings by aiming a kick at Albus.**

**"See you later, Al. Watch out for the thestrals." **

**"I thought they were invisible? You said they were invisible!" but James merely laughed, permitted his mother to kiss him, gave his father a fleeting hug, then leapt onto the rapidly filling train. They saw him wave, then sprint away up the corridor to find his friends.**

**"Thestrals are nothing to worry about," Harry told Albus. "They're gentle things, there's nothing scare about them. Anyway, you won't be going up to school in the carriages, you'll be going in the boats." **

**Ginny kissed Albus good-bye.**

**"See you at Christmas." **

**"Bye, Al," said Harry as his son hugged him. "Don't forget Hagrid's invited you to tea next Friday. Don't mess with Peeves. Don't duel anyone till you're learned how. And don't let James wind you up." **

"Good advice" They both said simultaneously. It was something James would've said...

**"What if I'm in Slytherin?" **

**The whisper was for his father alone, and Harry knew that only the moment of departure could have forced Albus to reveal how great and sincere that fear was.**

**Harry crouched down so that Albus's face was slightly above his own. Alone of Harry's three children, Albus had inherited Lily's eyes.**

Remus smiled ruefully, Lily's eyes had always been lovely...James had loved her eyes, and he'd been ecstatic when Harry had inherited them, he remembered him saying that the two most important people in his life had the same eyes...

**"Ablus Severus," **

"Bloody Hell!" swore Sirius, his mouth hanging open "He named his son after that slimy git?"

"Sirius," said Remus thoughtfully "I think Harry found the reason Dumbledore trusts Severus...and whatever it was, it made Harry respect him..."

**Harry said quietly, so that nobody but Ginny could hear, and she was tactful enough to pretend to be waving to rose, who was now on the train, "you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew."**

"So Severus' dead as well..." said Remus quietly

**"But just say-" **

**"-then Slytherin House will have gained an excellent student, won't it? It doesn't matter to us, Al. But if it matter to you, you'll be able to choose Gryffindor over Slytherin.**

**The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account." **

**"Really?" **

**"It did for me," said Harry.**

"It did?" asked Sirius in surprise. He'd never thought that Harry could've gone in another house...

**He had never told any of his children that before, and he saw the wonder in Albus's face when he said it. But how the doors were slamming all along the scarlet train, and the blurred outlines of parents swarming forward for final kisses, last-minute reminders, Albus jumped into the carriage and ginny closed the door behind him.**

**Students were hanging from the windows nearest them. A great number of faces, both on the train and off, seemed to be turned toward Harry.**

"Bet he loves that" said Remus drily

**"Why are they all staring?" demanded Albus as he and rose craned around to look at the other students.**

**"Don't let it worry you," said Ron. "It's me, I'm extremely famous." **

**Albus, Rose, Hugo, and Lily laughed. The train began to more, and Harry walked alongside it, watching his son's thin face, already ablaze with excitement. Harry kept smiling and waving, even though it was like a little bereavement, watching his son glide away from him. . . .**

They smiled again, that was how they felt when they saw how much of an adult Harry already was, and when he left for Hogwarts this year...

**The last trace of steam evaporated in the autumn air. The train rounded a corner.**

**Harry's hand was still raised in farewell.**

**"He'll be alright," murmured Ginny.**

**As Harry looked dat her, he lowered his hand absentmindedly and touched the lightning scar on his forehead.**

**"I know he will." **

**The scar had not pained Harry for nineteen years. All was well.**

They smiled too.

"All was well" murmured Remus

"All will be well" Sirius corrected, a slight smile on his face...

There was hope. There was a future to fight for...and even if they may not live to see it, Harry lived, he was Happy, the world was Happier...

And that was something worth fighting for...


End file.
